Ever Thus to Deabeats (Day 217)

Well, I actually got my DS charged and resumed 4 Heroes of Light from where I left off. Turns out I was only a few dungeons behind the progress I'd made on the emulator so I decided why not? A lot of the game's UI frustrations are lessened when you can more comfortably play it from bed--and the graphics aren't quite as much of an eyesore on the tiny DS screen. The problems I've enumerated previously are still present, of course, but I expect I should be able to power through and finish it. Hopefully, I'll do this soon because a friend of mine just dropped off Bravely Default for me to borrow.

Now that I've aquired a few of the legendary items (the Shield of Light, the Cape of Light, and the ultimate White Magic Lux), the game's difficulty definitely seems to be tapering down. Lux in particular seems to sort of break the game as it seems to completely invalidate Bard, Musician, and Dancer. Lux costs 5 AP and rolls together the effects of the Musician's Serenade, the Bard's Ditty, and the Dancer's Perform. Unlike these skills, the effects of Lux last for the duration of the battle. You cast it at the beginning and you get health regen, increased damage, and increased AP regeneration for the entire fight. Why would the developers choose to completely invalidate several classes by introducing a spell that anyone can use that massively outperforms them?

Combining the Shield of Light and Cape of Light also protects the bearer from status effects (ala the traditional Final Fantasy Ribbon) and gives resistance to all elements. For most of the game it is important to equip the right equipment in preparation for certain bosses or you'll get thrashed. That distinction is now no longer important because you can outfit your healer with gear that makes them susceptible to nothing. As long as the boss in question can't destroy your party members in a single turn, you're probably set.

The only positive aspect of this change is that the game is going more smoothly and I feel a lot more powerful than before. After feeling weak and ineffectual for so much of the game this is a welcome change. Still, the sharp change in difficult is disconcerting, to say the least. It's fair to say that the difficulty up to this point has been increased by some poor gameplay elements, but I do really appreciate how important it's been to equip the correct gear--something that is seldom really that important in other Final Fantasy titles.

If I focus on it tonight, it's possible I'll finish 4 Heroes of Light. I don't regret playing it at all, and it's especially nice since Bravely Default is sort of a spiritual successor--but I can't say that it will rank highly for me in the Final Fantasy pantheon.